The party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should leave the mainstream European center-right grouping, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, comparing Orbán to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Monday (11 February) that renewed American engagement with Hungary's Viktor Orbán would help steer the increasingly authoritarian leader away from Russian and Chinese influence.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launched his European elections campaign Sunday (10 February) calling for voters to defend "Christian" nations against immigration, which he said led to the "virus of terrorism".

It’s getting increasingly clearer in the circles of Brussels that Manfred Weber is a pre-election “front man” Spitzenkandidat of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), Syriza MEP and Vice-President of the EU Parliament Dimitris Papadimoulis said.

The leaders of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia will hold the first summit of their Visegrad grouping in Jerusalem, a move which looks like a slap in the face of the EU at a time the Union tries...

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Hungary next week, the White House said Wednesday (6 February), as the United States seeks to build ties with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán following rifts.

In a symbolic gesture, the Greek government will most probably be the first country to ratify North Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol, as it aims to do it by 8 February, sources close to the issue told EURACTIV.com.

Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said on Monday (28 January) that EU politicians should be prepared to address the issue of migration, as anti-EU forces are set to make it their number one item in the upcoming elections.

Hungary will not take part in this week’s European Parliament debate on the rule of law in the country, a government spokesperson said on Monday (28 January) and insisted that Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, who deals with this issue, should be suspended in the run-up to the European elections.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday (10 January) said he hoped the next European Parliament will be dominated by anti-immigration forces. He also criticised France and Germany in blunt terms, saying he "must fight" French President Emmanuel Macron.

Italy's far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and the leader of Poland's ruling party, Jarosław Kaczynski, will discuss on Wednesday (9 January) the possibility of forming a eurosceptic alliance to contest the European Parliament elections in May.

The yellow vests in France and Belgium may be only the tip of the iceberg of a major social upheaval ahead of the European elections, with a common denominator: people protesting their worsening living standards do not want to be represented by the existing political forces.

Week-long protests in Budapest have forged fragmented opposition parties into a rare coalition against Viktor Orbán, drawing young Hungarians into the streets to demonstrate against what they see as his increasingly authoritarian rule.

For the European People's Party, it is clear that Europe must stand by its principles and defend the rule of law, Manfred Weber, the head of the EPP group in the European Parliament, told EURACTIV Poland.

Security guards ejected two independent lawmakers from Hungary's state television building on Monday (17 December) after they tried to read out a petition, a day after police used tear gas against pro-democracy protesters in Budapest.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Friday (14 December) EU countries that show no solidarity in the management of migration open the debate about whether they have a place in the Schengen area.